


dive in, take a breath

by ARGirl1011



Category: Professional Wrestling, Progress Wrestling
Genre: M/M, i think i'm the only person who ships this but whatever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-04-05 16:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19044523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARGirl1011/pseuds/ARGirl1011
Summary: Spike Trivet is not one for having allies, and certainly not one for having friends. And he's also not a person who lets a little thing like emotions get in his way. So what exactly led him to join Do Not Resuscitate?...And why can't he get Drew Parker out of his head?





	dive in, take a breath

Drew Parker was absolutely not the right person for Spike Trivet to be falling for.  
Not that there really _was_ a right person, honestly. Emotions were nothing but weakness. That was a fact Spike knew. They were messy, and complicated, and led to you caring too much about another person's well-being instead of doing whatever you had to do to succeed. Ultimately, they led to failure. And Spike Trivet could not afford to fail. (Well, he was rich enough to afford pretty much anything, but he would prefer to avoid failing). Spike knew that the only way you got to the top in this business was caring about nobody but yourself.  
But still. If he absolutely had to fall for someone, it especially didn't need to be Drew Parker.   
_Drew Parker!_ Of all the people. A guy who had nicknamed himself the "Urchin Prince." Calling himself an “urchin” as a point of pride. Now, if the "prince" part was more literal, it would've been more appropriate. But no. It was a complete and utter freak. Someone Spike knew he shouldn't even be caught dead associating with. Someone Spike had went to bloody, painful war with in the past.   
So why did he agree to be part of this coalition Drew had formed? That was the question. A question he hadn't stopped asking himself since the moment he'd approached Drew and said he wanted in. Yes, _he_ approached _Drew_ , not the other way around. Not a very Spike Trivet-like thing to do at all. Drew should've had to be begging at his feet for weeks before Spike finally lowered himself to join this group of misfits. But the truth was, when that video was posted to Progress's YouTube channel of Drew's call to arms, Spike couldn't get it out of his head. He tried to ignore it, tried to tell himself it was of no importance to him. And one night, when he couldn't sleep and inexplicably couldn't stop thinking of that damn video, he finally gave in. It was only a couple minutes long. Why not just watch it and put the whole matter to rest, right?  
Wrong. That only multiplied the problem. Although Drew only said a few sentences, they rang in Spike's head for weeks afterward. He honestly hadn't said much of anything, and to most people it would've sounded like nonsensical ramblings. But it made sense to Spike. He couldn't explain why, it just...did. And when he arrived at the venue for Chapter 79, he knew what he had to do. 

"I want in." Drew had looked up, his eyes sparkling, and Spike had momentarily lost his train of thought. But he managed to regain his focus as Drew spoke.   
"You do, hm? I was rather hoping you might. You seemed a likely candidate." _He was specifically hoping I would want in? What am I supposed to do with that?_  
"Yes. I want in. What you said in that video...it made sense. And whatever you're planning, I want to be part of it." Spike appeared the picture of confidence, or at least he was hoping he did. But he felt weirdly flustered, and he wasn't quite sure why.   
"Excellent. You're the first one so far. I'm hoping for at least a couple more, but you know, if it's just the two of us? I still wouldn't bet against us." Drew had smiled as he said that, leaning casually against a wall. He seemed to completely believe what he was saying. And Spike could feel himself starting to believe it, too.   
But they weren't the only ones. Later, William Eaver and Chuck Mambo - of all the people - had approached them. Against all odds, those two, who Spike had thought cared far more about the opinions of the fans than actually doing anything to advance their careers...they wanted to be part of this crusade as well. Although the latter seemed quite a bit more reluctant than the former. But regardless. Spike didn't personally have a very high opinion of Eaver or Mambo, but they could be helpful to the cause. _God, the_ cause? _Like I'm some sort of bleeding heart activist? What is this doing to me..._ And he had to admit, he looked forward to seeing the looks on the fans' faces when two of their most beloved heroes betrayed them.  
As it got closer to show time, Drew introduced the plan to Spike and the others. Spike knew Jimmy Havoc wasn't a man to mess with lightly, but on the other hand - he had beaten him before. In a deathmatch, no less. In the man's own signature match, the match he was supposedly the "king" of...Spike had beaten him. And so had Drew. And yet they had received practically nothing for it - no recognition, no opportunities. And besides, anyone could tell this was far from the same Jimmy Havoc that had terrorized Progress in the past, holding the company under his thumb for over 600 days. No, this was a significantly weaker Jimmy Havoc. And so this didn't seem like such a terrible idea.  
Spike was first up, and Drew had said to use his own judgement on when to go out there. When Jimmy had an axe pointed at Drew, Spike decided the moment to go out was probably then. So he ran out and smashed a steel chair across Jimmy's back, and it felt wonderful. And then Drew had smiled up at him. And Spike had felt this sense of...belonging. Like he was exactly where he was supposed to be. 

Everything had gone according to plan. Eaver and Mambo had played their parts perfectly. And later that night, when they attacked Mark Haskins and Eddie Dennis as well - that had gone according to plan too. Well. Not _exactly_ to plan, Spike supposed. It hadn't exactly been in the plan for him to grab a barbed wire bat with his bare hands. They had known Vicky would be a problem and they had to neutralize her somehow. But that...that wasn't exactly what they'd had in mind. It had been a rather impulsive decision on Spike's part. And yes, it had hurt like hell, and yes, it was a ridiculously insane and stupid thing to do. But Spike hadn't been thinking of that. He had only been thinking - even though he wasn't exactly sure why - of how impressed, maybe even proud, Drew would be.   
And he was. As they had gotten backstage, Eaver and Mambo had quickly dispersed. Spike had begun to walk away as well, but Drew had grabbed his wrist, stopping him. And causing his heart to skip a beat, as well. Drew had turned over Spike's hand, examining the marks the barbed wire had left.   
"That was insane, what you did out there. You know that?" It seemed to be a rhetorical question, but a moment passed, and Spike realized Drew was genuinely expecting an answer. He still hadn't let go of Spike's wrist.   
"Yes, I'm well aware it was insane. But..." He shrugged. "We had to get that bat out of our way somehow, right?" Drew had smiled at him, looking a bit awed.   
"Yeah, I suppose we did. That was...it may have been insane, but it was also pretty fuckin' cool." Still holding Spike's wrist. "But really, you okay? Some of those cuts look pretty nasty."  
Spike's heart squeezed at the unexpected concern. He finally pulled his wrist away, trying to shake it off. "Yeah. I'm fine, don't worry about it."   
"You sure?"  
"Yeah. I'm sure." Even though showing gratitude didn't exactly come naturally to Spike, he forced the next words out. "Thanks, though."  
They had walked away from each other, and yet had somehow ended up at the same destination, at the same time. They had both approached Eaver and Mambo, who had seemed to be having a fairly intense conversation, but had ceased it immediately when Spike and Drew walked up. They had both jumped up, looking guilty, and even though Spike and Drew hadn't really overheard much of anything, Drew had only smirked knowingly as if he knew exactly what they had been discussing. They exited quickly, leaving Spike and Drew alone together once again. And Spike wasn't exactly sure what it was that had happened then. It felt like...a moment. An unfamiliar sort of energy had passed between them. And Drew seemed completely unfazed, continuing to smile the entire time. Spike had honestly had no idea what was happening, or why he felt the way he did. After they had stared at each other for what Spike felt was an uncomfortable amount of time, he had finally managed to break the spell, and walked away without a word.  
Spike had been trying to leave the venue when a cameraman had gotten in his way, asking for comments on what had happened. Spike was decidedly not happy with this interruption. All he wanted was to get home, where he could relax and find a distraction. Anything to get Drew Parker out of his head. But the cameraman was persistent, and Spike had finally given up. And for the next couple of minutes, he had just...spoken honestly. Let the words flow out without really thinking. But when the words "I'm proud of them" had come out of his mouth...that was a bit of a surprise to him. He hadn't really been planning to say that, it had just happened. And even more surprising than the fact that he had said it was the realization that it was entirely true. He was proud of them. Proud of what they had accomplished together. It was an unfamiliar emotion, and an unfamiliar word: _together_. As Spike finally got the cameraman out of his way and exited the building, he had began pondering it.   
_Together_. Strange. Spike had never been part of any sort of group before. He had been hellbent on making it to the top without relying on a single other person. So how had he found himself being part of a _together_? And why did it actually feel kind of...good? 

Spike couldn't stop pondering that, and when he arrived at the venue for Chapter 83, he was still pondering it. It had been nearly two full months ago that Do Not Resuscitate had been officially formed, and Spike still hadn't found a satisfactory answer. For the entirety of those two months, he had been trying to convince himself that it was purely a strategical career move. And of course, that was partially true. Joining up with a group of talented, likeminded people - it was logical. But Spike knew that wasn't the _full_ truth. It was part of it, sure, but there was more to it than that. And Spike couldn't ignore it no matter how badly he wanted to.  
He couldn't ignore the way he felt every time he was around Drew Parker. Couldn't ignore the way his breath caught in his throat every time Drew casually touched him. Couldn't ignore the fact that every time Drew smiled, an expression that was always full of mischief, a smile appeared on his own face as well. Spike liked to think of himself as a pretty logical, intelligent person, and he knew the conclusion all that evidence led to. It was no longer possible to deny it...  
Spike Trivet had a terrible, nonsensical, almost certainly doomed, huge crush on Drew Parker.  
God, a _crush_. That word was awful. For one thing, it made him sound like a blushing schoolchild. And for another, the word itself implied destruction. How could something called a _crush_ ever possibly end well? Spike groaned out loud at the situation he had found himself in. And of course, Drew chose that exact moment to approach and casually sling his arm around Spike's shoulders.  
"Why the groaning?" Drew's face was in rather close proximity to Spike's, and he had that earnest look on his face, and his arm was still around Spike's shoulders, and the combination of all of that meant Spike was having an immensely difficult time focusing on thinking up an explanation for the groan. What came out of his mouth was:  
"You know, just...life." He internally facepalmed. _Great work, Spike. Absolutely fantastic._  
Drew cocked his head, seemingly amused. But all he said was, "Yeah, I feel that. But cheer up, today is a good day. We get to team together for the first time!"   
_Right. That._ That, which made that day of all days an incredibly inconvenient day for Spike to finally come to terms with his feelings for Drew. They had been on the same team technically since November, but actually teaming together - it felt different. Felt like a bigger deal, somehow. And honestly, in the state of mind he was currently in, Spike wasn't even sure he could concentrate on their opponents.   
That was a ridiculous thing to think, and he was internally kicking himself for allowing the thought into his head. All it did was further enforce what he already knew: emotions weakened you, made you unable to focus on success. Honestly, what was even the endgame here? What was he hoping for? An actual _relationship_ with Drew Parker?  
Speaking of Drew, he was currently waving a hand in front of Spike's face, drawing him back to the conversation. "Hello? Earth to Spike?" Spike blinked a couple of times, attempting to refocus.   
"Sorry. I guess I just...spaced out there for a minute..."  
Drew somehow appeared amused and concerned simultaneously, a combination that possibly only he could pull off. "Right. I don't know what's going on, but try to put it out of your head for now. This is an important match for us."  
 _Us._ That word rang in Spike's head even as Drew continued speaking.  
"But _after_ we get that win, if you need to talk about whatever it is that's on your mind...I'm here."  
A different expression flashed on Drew's face that Spike hadn't seen before. It was there for only a second before it went away, but Spike noticed it. It appeared almost as if Drew had surprised even himself by saying that, as if it was unplanned. In that one moment, for the first time since this whole thing had begun, Drew looked almost as uncertain as Spike felt. But it was there and then gone just as fast, and Spike tried to convince himself it meant nothing as Drew reverted back to his normal, completely confident self.   
"Now, let's talk strategy..."

They discussed strategy for a while, and Spike managed to actually focus for most of it. With a few distractions, maybe. Mostly whenever Drew touched him, which admittedly was often, but...other than that, total focus. He actually was feeling good about the match. The strategy session helped. Drew had this way of making you believe every word he said. And when he was laying out plans for the match, it gave Spike this feeling like just the two of them together could...well, take on the whole world. _God, I am turning into such a cliché..._  
And then before he knew it, their match was next. They were standing there, together - _together_ \- waiting for their cue. And it felt...good. It felt right. Even though it deviated so far from the plans Spike had had for his career before Drew Parker threw a wrench into them. In that moment, he didn't mind it. Drew looked at Spike and smiled - a genuine, kind smile. The kind of smile that could make you forget any problem or worry you'd ever had. The kind of smile that lit up the darkness. He grabbed Spike's hand and squeezed it. "You ready?" Spike didn't answer verbally; there was no need to. The only answer that was needed was a smile and a squeeze back.   
And for the first time in a very long time, Spike Trivet felt like maybe - just _maybe_ \- everything was going to turn out okay.


End file.
